Tuesday, February 13, 2007

A first

It's not like I think I've done it all. I know there are still some firsts I have yet to experience. And today I had one:

My first raise! Woohoo! I spoke to my boss today because I'd been offered a job with the provincial government. Better hours, more money, the usual. Unfortunately, it would also be heinously boring. I told him honestly that the job itself didn't really appeal to me, but it was hard to turn down such a substantial pay increase. I wanted to know what they would offer me to stay. Not just money, as I realized they would never be able to match gov't pay, but mostly in terms of job growth. I wanted something more interesting, more challenging, more fun.

So, my boss and I had a chat with the Big Cheese. And, to sum up, it was a very positive meeting. They both said how impressed they are with everything they've seen so far, that I'm so much better than the previous gal, they don't want to lose me, etc etc etc. All that feel-good, I'm-the-shit stuff. They said they would get me involved in other areas like event planning and festivals, and whatever else I wanted to explore. I felt reassured in the whole growth aspect. Big Cheese said he could definitely bump me up a couple grand. I just listened. Then the two of them had a private talk. When I spoke to my boss again, he reiterated how much he wanted me to stay. He actually said he'd be "devastated" if I were to leave. And then he said he'd talked the Cheese up another few thousand. It was more than I'd expected, more than the previous girl was earning after 18 months, more than some other employees were earning. They'd work out a bonus plan too, to get me some commission. Sadly, it's still less than the Provincial job.

But I'm staying. I've grown to like it there and I want to explore the possibilities. It definitely has more "fun potential" than the government, and that's got to be worth a few bucks. I think now that perhaps I shouldn't have accepted that initial offer, maybe I could have gotten more. It doesn't matter though. I'm surprised they offered as much as they did, and I don't want to push too much too soon. After all, I have only been there 4 months! It's really quite remarkable and extremely flattering.

I think that's the best part. I really felt appreciated and valued. I've never had an employer fight to keep me before - hurrah!!